Chicago College of Dental Surgery - Dentos Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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THE DENTOS To the Class of 1938 by WARREN WILLNIAN It is impossible for me to escape a feeling of being singularly honored in being asked to write a message to your class for this Dentos that is so uniquely yours. For you, this is an occasion of a life-time: for me. it might be just one more graduation in an annual series that is already growing longer than I like to think about. It might be, but it is IIOI. Your class stands out very distinctly in my mind and will, in all probability, continue to hold that position for many years. You have always distinguished yourselves by many curious superlatives. From my first co11tact with you in the sophomore laboratory. you were certainly the noisiest. wildest bu11ch of hellions I ever met. But sometimes. you know, there is a definite advantage in getting off to a bad start- It leaves such a splendid scope for improvement! And to a man. you have taken magnif- icent advantage ot' that opportunity. Some of you have become real champions. and none of you have failed to better yourselves beyond your faculty's fondest hopes. It would be too much. certainly. to say that the upper class years tamed you exactly. or even quieted you conspicuously: no. by a simple rating in decimals the Class of 1038 will undoubtedly go down in history as The Big Noise. But within that thunderclap there has surely developed a recognizable growth. even if it is still somewhat embryonic. of a mature sense of responsibility. of self-reliance, loyalty, and genuine ambition. The happy hoodlums of under class years are slowly turning into real men. and after that ineffable day of graduation, you may be astonished yourselves at how grim a turn the process will take. ' Separated from each other and your faculty. you will face far more serious problems than those of getting a denture approved or of making a thousand points. And your problems will have to be met and solved by you alone. VVhile you were here in school. every one of you has smarted often from the sting of injustice. Injustices perpetrated by your class- mates. your patients. and even by those of us whose intention it was to help you. When you go out into the world you may expect to encounter rather more injustice. not less. Not that the world is malicious. but just that life is complicated and cannot help working out that way. One philosophical wag has put it this way: When Adam was first created, all tl1e world and all liberty was his. But when Eve appeared. his rights and privileges were cut precisely in half. Now reflect that there are two billion people in this world today, and that explains everything. A recent president of Loyola University once cited a statement that everything that was said nowadays was either bunk or debunk. It certainly does not require the services of a statistician to determine which ol' these elements is usually in preponderance when messages a11d speeches are delivered to graduating classes. Not that a wholesome amount of so-called bunk may not be desirable. Psychologists tell us that. paradoxical as it may seem. men actually lift themselves by their boot-straps when they talk of their noble aims. their lofty ideals. their self-sacrificing purposes. By ultimate analysis these assay as twenty-four carat bunk. but oddly enough, men suggest themselves i11to being better men by pondering these things. Page 22 CHICAGO COLLEGE

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N, X X K : i 4 I i . i I w N i w 1 1 i I Y s 1 w 5 K I I I L 3 l

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CLASS OF19 A few years ago a teacher in an eastern university broke into headlines all over the country by delivering, to a graduating class of men. an address that was ruthlessly debunked. Be a snobg it pays. he said. Dress and behave like a gentleman and always be seen in the company of gentlemen. You will be surprised at the murder you can get away with. Belong to the best club in town whether you can afford it or not. Marry the boss's daughter. 11ot his secretary: it is just as easy and pays much better dividends. Nor did he omit going into details. Have your suit pressed every week and have your shoes shined every day. he reminded them. Don't consider yourself as good as anyone else. You have spent four years acquiring a special education and you should consider yourself a damned sight better than anyone else. After the first repercussions in the newspapers had subsided. one shrewd commentator observed that there were just three things wrong witl1 that man's address: First. he was absolutely right: second. ll0t one graduate in Hve hundred would be smart enough to apply such heady advice: and third. since there are nearly a million graduating from colleges every year in this country. it could not work anyway. because in a country where everybody is somebody, nobody is anybody! However. without trying to emulate that brash professor in his daring diatribe of debunk. we can point out certain facts of life that he emphasized truthfully. at least in part. Like his class. you have spent four years in acquiring a special education. and to that extent you have surely raised yourselves above tl1e common level. You are 11ow professional men and are free to enjoy the prestige and benefits of belonging to a profession: society will also require that you accept the responsibilities of a professional man. If you are smart. you will dress and act like gentlemen: you will associate with gentle- men: you should soon be able to afford belonging to social organizations. and you will pick those with care. But you need never expect to get away with even slight carelessness, much less murder. People are consciously a11d unconsciously jealous of professional n1en and not a little suspicious. We have a large store of private knowledge which they cannot hope to cope with, and they always entertain vague doubts as to whether we will apply that knowledge for their best welfare or exclusively for our own. You will encounter symptoms of such doubts and suspicions daily. Here again there are compensations however. Because a few professional men have been known to prostitute their special knowledge and skills. because everybody knows that the opportunities exist for dishonesties that cannot be detected at once. those who resist the temptations to proht at their patients' and colleagues' expense are esteemed all the more. If you will be patient and build carefully a reputation for honest dealing. sound judgement, consideration for your patients' welfare. and careful, skillful work that gives lasting satis- faction. you may be assured that the people of your community will ultimately welcome you as one of their leaders. one of their most valued members. People cannot and do not expect to understand teeth as you understand them. Wihat they do want and expect. however, is that in coming to you they may rest their dental problems with you. confident that you will solve them accurately. honestly, and to their best interests. If you are careful to create such a confidence and take care of your practice. you will find that your practice will take care of you. You will be rewarded with that esteem and that immunity to purely commercial striving that are the special privileges of professional men. In short, you will have earned and will enjoy the success that is now your dream. PdgE2-3' DENTAL SURGERY